Argentine Air Force


The Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2010 it had 14,600 military personnel and 6,900 civilian personnel.

History

The Air Force's history began with the establishment of the Army Aviation Service's Escuela de Aviación Militar on Aughust 10th, 1912 by President Roque Sáenz Peña.
Several pioneers of Argentine aviation include the conscript and the retired Argentine Navy officer Jorge Newbery. The school began to turn out military pilots who participated in milestone events in Argentine aviation, such as the crossing of the Andes mountains.

Interwar period

In 1927, the Dirección General de Aeronáutica was created to coordinate the country's military aviation. In that same year, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones, which would become the heart of the country's aviation industry, was founded in Córdoba.
By 1938–39 Argentina's air power had about 3,200 staff, and maintained about 230 aircraft. About 150 of these were operated by the army and included Dewoitine D.21 and Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighters; Breguet 19 reconnaissance planes; Northrop A-17 and Martin B-10 bombers, North American NA-16 trainers, Focke-Wulf Fw 58 as multi-role planes, and Junkers Ju 52 and Fairchild 82 transports. About 80 were operated by the navy and included the Supermarine Southampton, Supermarine Walrus, Fairey Seal, Fairey III, Vought O2U Corsair, Consolidated P2Y, Curtiss T-32 Condor II, Douglas Dolphin and Grumman J2F Duck.

World War II and immediate post-war

The first step towards an independent airforce came on February 11th, 1944 with the establishment of the Aeronautical Command '' directly under the Department of War. This later became the FAA by decree onJanuary 4th, 1945, which also created the .
At the end of World War II, the FAA began a process of modernization. This "golden age" was ushered in by the ready availability of foreign currency in Argentina; the abundance of now unemployed airspace engineers from Germany, Italy, and France; and the willingness of Britains to provide the latest generation of motors and other supplies. In his first term, President Juan Perón brought teams of European engineers to the FMA to advance its aeronautics, totaling roughly 750 workers. This included two teams of German designers, and the French engineer Émile Dewoitine.
In 1947, the FAA acquired 100 Gloster Meteor jet fighters. These aircraft were paid for by the United States of America as a way to partly pay back its debt due to Argentina's provision of raw materials for the US during WWII. This acquisition made the FAA the first airforce in Latin America equipped with jet-propelled combat fighters. In addition, a number of Avro Lincoln and Avro Lancaster bombers were acquired.
The FAA, with former Luftwaffe officers as consultants and with the European teams that Perón had brought, also began to develop its own aircraft, the I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I and I.Ae. 33 Pulqui II. These creations made Argentina the first country in Latin America and the sixth in the world to develop jet fighter technology on its own. The FAA also created others bi-motor planes, the I.Ae. 35 Huanquero, the I.Ae 22 DL advanced trainer, the I.Ae 24 Calquín bomber, the trainer, the bi-motor combat fighter I.Ae. 30 Ñancú, the assault glider I.Ae. 25 Mañque, as well as rockets and planes for civilian use.
The networks used to acquire high quality parts for the making of these planes established an industrial zone in Córdoba that formed the basis for its later urban development.

Cold War period

In the Liberating Revolution (1955)

The FAA opened fire for the first time on June 16th, 1955 during the bombing of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, in which government Gloster Meteors fought rebel planes attempting to assassinate the president in a coup d'etat. In the following September coup, the FAA supported Peron's government and fought the revolution, initiating combat operations and transporting troops and arms. Only five aircraft defected to the revolution side. However, in 1955 these operations ceased and most FAA workers left the country, including engineer Kurt Tank who left to work in India.

Antarctic support

In 1952 the Air Force began flight to supply the Antarctic scientific bases using ski-equipped C-47s and establishing Marambio Base on 25 September 1969. Previously, President Juan Peron had created the FATA for this purpose. On April 11th, 1970 they began landing C-130 Hercules aircraft, when the TC-61 commanded by Commodore Arturo Athos Gandolfi was the first airplane to land in Marambio. The Fokker F-28 Fellowship presidential aircraft T-01 Patagonia is reported to be the first jet to have landed at Marambio, on july 28th, 1973. and since the 1970s Twin Otters are also deployed.
In October 1973, the FAA launched the Operation Transantar, achieving the first trans-Antarctic three-continental flight in history when a Hercules C-130 flew between Rio Gallegos; Marambio, Antarctica; Christchurch, New Zealand and Canberra, Australia.

Modernization (1960s-70s)

In the 1960s, new aircrafts were incorporated, including the F-86F Sabre jet fighter and the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk mainly used for ground-attack. During the 1970s the Air Force re-equipped itself with modern aircraft, including Mirage III interceptors, IAI Dagger multi-role fighters, and C-130 Hercules cargo planes. A counter-insurgency airplane, the Pucará, was also used in substantial numbers. The FAA also participated in the 1976 Argentine Revolution as part of the Junta Militar that supported the new military dictatorship.
In the Falklands War
The Falklands War was the first war fought by the Argentine Air Force against an external enemy. They were unprepared for this war: in comparison to Britain's most modern weapons, some of the Argentine aircraft were obsolete. During the war, the Air Force division of the Junta Militar was called the Southern Airforce, led by Ernesto Crespo.
The Falklands War began on May 1, 1982. The RAF initiated Operation Black Buck, in which RAF Avro Vulcan XM607 bombers attacked the Malvinas Military Air Base. The Task Force then proceeded to send Harrier planes to attack positions at Stanley and Goose Green. The first casualties of the Fuerza Aerea Argentina.
The Argentian Air Force reacted by sending IAI Dagger and A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft, and Mirage III interceptors. The Mirage III went into combat with the Harriers on Bourbon Island, with one Mirage lost to a Harrier. On the day of May 21, the Battle of San Carlos began when the Air Force attacked a detachment of British ships making a landing in the San Carlos Water. The Dagger and Skyhawk aircraft sank 3 British ships.
During the march of June 8, the Air Force carried out an operation in Bluff Cove. The British needed to position Infantry Brigade 5 to complete their lock on Puerto Argentino/ Port Stanley. For this they used the landing ships RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram. Seven A-4 Skyhawks were used in the attack. Six Daggers attacked the frigate, HMS Plymouth. The Skyhawks destroyed Sir Galahad and the landing craft Foxtrot 4. They also severely damaged Sir Tristram. Three A-4s were lost through interception by the Harriers. All the bombs dropped by the Daggers failed to explode.
On June 13, the A-4 Skyhawk of the Argentian Air Force renewed their attacks. They were in two formations of four planes each. They launched an attack against enemy troops and helicopters on Two Sister Mount. On June 14, 1982 the Argentine command gave the surrender. The United Kingdom took control of the Falklands, Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands. The Argentine Air Force suffered 55 dead and 47 wounded, in total 101 casualties. With 505 combat departures, the casualties were:
After the war, Britain imposed an embargo about arms on Argentina, which was discontinued in the 1990s but British pressure has prevented so far the acquisition of modern fighter planes and equipment from Western countries. After attempts to acquire surplus IAI Kfirs or F-16As failed for economic and political reasons, the United States military sold Argentina 36 A-4AR Fightinghawks, a refurbished and upgraded version of the A-4 Skyhawks used in the war. Other equipment was bought: 23 US Army surplus OV-1 Mohawks, 22 Ex-Israeli IAI Dagger, 2 C-130B and 1 Lockheed L-100-30.
After the war, to avoid becoming dependent to other countries for their aeronautic technology, Argentina started planning the development of new aircrafts including the FMA IA-63 Pampa, the combat fighter FMA SAIA 90, and the transformation of the Condor rocket into a medium-range ballistic missile. Of these, only the Pampa was successfully developed. The SAIA 90 was cancelled by President Raul Alfonsin to focus on the Condor, while the Condor was cancelled in the 1980s by President Carlos Saul Menem.
In 1994, President Menem discontinued mandatory military service in Argentina and established voluntary military service for 10 years. He also allowed the presence of women into military service.

Support to UN peacekeeping missions

The FAA has been involved in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world. They sent a Boeing 707 to the 1991 Gulf War. Since 1994 the UN Air contingent in Cyprus under UNFICYP mandate is provided by the FAA, having achieved 10,000 flight hours by 2003 without any accidents. The FAA has also since 2005 deployed Bell 212 helicopters to Haiti under MINUSTAH mandate. The FAA has also been involved with UN peacekeeping in Chipre as the Argentine Task Force.

In the 21st century

In early 2005, seventeen FA brigadiers, including the Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Carlos Rohde, were sacked by President Néstor Kirchner following a scandal involving drug trafficking through Ezeiza International Airport. Kirchner cited failures in the security systems of the Argentine airports and cover-ups of the scandal. It later became known that many government agencies, among them the Interior Ministry, the Customs Administration and the Secretariat of State Intelligence knew about the drug trafficking.
In 2007, the FAA began participation in Operation Fortin to monitor the Argentine airspace for drug trafficking. They also began using aerial measures to monitor wildfires as part of the National Plan for Fire Management.
The primary concerns of the Air Force are the establishment of a radar network for control of the country's airspace, the replacement of its older combat aircraft and the incorporation of new technologies.
Since the 1990s the FAA has established good relations with its neighbors, the Brazilian and Chilean Air Forces. They annually meet, on a rotation basis, in the joint exercises Cruzex in Brazil, Ceibo in Argentina and Salitre in Chile.
In 2007 an FAA FMA IA 58 Pucará was converted to use a modified engine operating on soy-derived bio-jet fuel. The project, financed and directed by the Argentine Government, made Argentina the second nation in the world to propel an aircraft with biojet fuel. The purpose of the project is to make the FAA less reliant on fossil fuels.

2010s

budgetary constraints continued, leading to the disbanding of the Boeing 707 transport squadron and maintenance problems for half of the C-130 Hercules fleet. This was particularly evident when, in a matter of days in March, the same C-130 aircraft could be seen, in addition to their routine missions, travelling 3 times to Haiti, 9 times to Chile and also doing a resupply airdrop to the Argentine southernmost Antarctic base Belgrano II.
In August 2010 a contract was signed for two Mi-17E helicopters, plus an option on a further three, to support Antarctic bases although no official destination for them have been released yet and is possible that they will be assigned to the Argentine Army Aviation.
The FAA is seeking to replace its ageing force with a more capable and more serviceable modern aircraft. The acquisition of Spanish Mirage F1Ms, IAI Kfir Block 60s and Saab Gripen E/Fs was considered, but as of February 2015, all of those deals appear to have stalled; The Mirage F1 deal was scrapped by the Spanish government in March 2014 after pressure of the UK to not assist in FAA modernization over tensions between the countries over the Falkland Islands. The UK has also managed to veto the sale of Gripen E/Fs, as 30% of the Gripen's parts are manufactured there. The deal with Israel has reportedly stalled for technical and political reasons. China has reportedly offered JF-17/FC-1 or Chengdu J-10 to Argentina. The two countries have formed a working group to look into the transfer of 14 aircraft. Russia had also offered to lease 12 Su-24 strike aircraft to the FAA, but Jane's reported that the Su-24 would not be very useful to the FAA and that "it would appear that any proposed transfer of such aircraft is likely the result of Russia playing political games with the UK over the continuing crisis in Ukraine.". All Mirages were officially decommissioned on 30 November 2015. The A-4s were grounded as of 2016 for lack of spares; in any case only 4–5 were airworthy with the rest in storage at Villa Reynolds. When Barack Obama visited in March 2016, Air Force One was accompanied by US Air Force F-16s because Argentina could only offer Pucarás and Pampas for air defense.
As of July 2019, the Argentine Air Force and government have selected the KAI FA-50 as its interim fighter. It is the first step in modernizing the fighter force and replacing the Mirage 3, Dagger, and Mirage 5 fighters that have been retired. It is also anticipated to help in the retirement of the A-4AR Fightinghawk fleet, as they are now aging and becoming difficult to maintain. While no specific numbers of aircraft to purchased has been given, so far the media has reported up to 10 to be in the deal. Despite elections coming in October 2019, the deal had been expected to go through. An Argentine delegation first visited the Republic of Korea Air Force in September 2016. At that time an FAA pilot was able to test fly the TA-50 Golden Eagle operational trainer variant of the FA-50.However, in the context of the budget pressures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the deal appeared to have been cancelled in early 2020 leaving the Air Force without a fighter replacement.

Organization

The FAA is one of the three branches of the Argentine military, having equal status with the Army and the Navy. The President of Argentina is Commander-in-Chief of all three services.
The FAA is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, directly appointed by the President. The Chief of Staff usually holds the rank of Brigadier General, the highest rank of the Air Force. The Chief of Staff is seconded by a Deputy Chief of the General Staff and three senior officers in charge of the FAA's three Commands: the Air Operations Command, the Personnel Command and the Materiel Command.
The Air Operations Command is the branch of the Air Force responsible for aerospace defense, air operations, planning, training, technical and logistical support of the air units. Subordinate to the Air Operations Command are the Air Brigades, the Air Force's major operative units, as well as the airspace surveillance and control group. A total of eight air brigades are currently operational. Brigades are headquartered at Military Air Bases.
Each Air Brigade is made up of three Groups, each bearing the same number as their mother Brigade. These groups include:
The Personnel Command is responsible for the training, education, assignment and welfare of Air Force personnel. Under the control of the Personnel Command are the Military Aviation School, the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer School and other educational and training units.
The Materiel Command deals with planning and executing the Air Force's logistics regarding flying and ground materiel. Materiel Command includes "Quilmes" and "Río Cuarto" Materiel Areas and "El Palomar" Logistical Area.

Order of battle

Officers

Officers wear their rank insignia in their sleeves, in the pattern depicted below. There are also shoulderboards with the same insignia for the ranks between Ensign and Commodore. General officers wear different shoulder boards.
InsigniaEquivalent NATO Rank CodeRank in SpanishRank in EnglishCommonwealth equivalentUS Air Force equivalent
OF-9Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralAir Chief MarshalGeneral
OF-8Brigadier MayorBrigadier-MajorAir MarshalLieutenant General
OF-7BrigadierBrigadierAir Vice-MarshalMajor General
OF-6 Comodoro MayorCommodore Major
Air CommodoreBrigadier General
OF-5ComodoroCommodoreGroup CaptainColonel
OF-4VicecomodoroVice-CommodoreWing CommanderLieutenant Colonel
OF-3MayorMajorSquadron LeaderMajor
OF-2CapitánCaptainFlight LieutenantCaptain
OF-1Primer TenienteFirst LieutenantFlying OfficerFirst Lieutenant
OF-1TenienteLieutenantPilot OfficerSecond Lieutenant
OF-DAlférezEnsignActing Pilot OfficerSecond Lieutenant

Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted personnel

Aircraft

Current inventory

Chiefs of the Argentine Air Force

Citations